Antifuse circuit with current regulator for controlling programming current

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, an antifuse cell includes a select transistor, a blocking transistor, and an antifuse. The select transistor allows for selection of the antifuse cell among an array of antifuse cells, while the blocking transistor limits the amount of voltage that may be directly applied to the select transistor. The antifuse may comprise a capacitor. In another embodiment, current used to program an antifuse cell is controlled using a programming current regulator. The programming current regulator may include components that form a current mirror with components of the antifuse cell to tightly control programming current through the antifuse. In yet another embodiment, dynamic current flowing through a substrate of an antifuse cell is limited using a current limiting resistor directly in series with an antifuse of the antifuse cell. The current limiting resistor minimizes or prevents excessive programming current.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.11/169,986, entitled “ANTIFUSE CAPACITOR FOR CONFIGURING INTEGRATEDCIRCUITS,” filed on Jun. 28, 2005 by Fred B. Jenne, incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to integrated circuits, and moreparticularly but not exclusively to antifuse cells.

2. Description of the Background Art

Some integrated circuits may be configured in the field or the factoryafter fabrication. Examples of these integrated circuits includeprogrammable logic devices (PLD), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA),read only memories (ROM), and clock circuits. An integrated circuit maybe configured by “programming” (also referred to as “burning”)information into it. Programming may involve blowing a fuse thatconnects two nodes of a circuit. The status of the fuse, i.e., whetherit is open or shorted, may be determined by flowing read current throughthe nodes. An antifuse configures an integrated circuit in a manneropposite to that of a fuse. An antifuse provides an open circuit in anormal state, and provides a short when burned. The state of an antifusemay be read in a manner similar to that of a fuse.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, an antifuse cell includes a select transistor, ablocking transistor, and an antifuse. The select transistor allows forselection of the antifuse cell among an array of antifuse cells, whilethe blocking transistor limits the amount of voltage that may bedirectly applied to the select transistor. The antifuse may comprise acapacitor. The capacitor may include a gate over a gate oxide and ann-well under the gate oxide. The n-well may have two n+ regions used ascontact points for the n-well. Upon programming, an electricallyconductive path is permanently burned through the gate oxide. Theantifuse cell occupies a relatively small area while providing arelatively tight read current distribution.

In another embodiment, current used to program an antifuse cell iscontrolled using a programming current regulator. The programmingcurrent regulator may include components that form a current mirror withcomponents of the antifuse cell to tightly control programming currentthrough the antifuse. The programming antifuse resistance and resistancedistribution are a function of the programming current. In general, thehigher the programming current, the lower the resistance of theresulting electrically conductive path. Therefore, by controlling theprogramming current, one can get a desired mean resistance value with arelatively tight resistance distribution.

In yet another embodiment, dynamic current flowing to a substrate of anantifuse cell is limited using a dynamic current limiting resistordirectly in series with an antifuse of the antifuse cell. The dynamiccurrent limiting resistor helps prevent excessive programming current.

These and other features of the present invention will be readilyapparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art upon reading theentirety of this disclosure, which includes the accompanying drawingsand claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically shows an example three transistor antifuse cellemploying an NMOS transistor antifuse.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of an integratedcircuit having the antifuse cell of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the antifusetransistor of the antifuse cell of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 schematically shows an example three transistor antifuse cellemploying a PMOS transistor antifuse.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of an integratedcircuit having the antifuse cell of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a possible problem with the antifusetransistor of the antifuse cell of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 schematically shows an antifuse cell in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of an integrated circuit having theantifuse cell of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 schematically shows a closer view of an antifuse in the antifusecell shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 shows Weibull distributions comparing the antifuse cell of FIG.7 to the antifuse cell of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 schematically shows an example blocking voltage generationcircuit.

FIG. 12 schematically shows an antifuse cell with a programming circuit.

FIG. 13 schematically shows a programming current regulator inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 schematically illustrates current flow through an antifuse cellduring programming.

FIG. 15 schematically shows an antifuse cell with a dynamic currentlimiting resistor in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

The use of the same reference label in different drawings indicates thesame or like components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the present disclosure, numerous specific details are provided, suchas examples of circuits, components, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the invention. Persons of ordinary skillin the art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practicedwithout one or more of the specific details. In other instances,well-known details are not shown or described to avoid obscuring aspectsof the invention. The circuits disclosed herein are preferably, but notnecessarily, implemented in an integrated circuit.

An antifuse is typically implemented as a cell in an array of antifusecells. An example antifuse cell 100 is schematically shown in FIG. 1. Inthe example of FIG. 1, the antifuse cell 100 includes a selecttransistor Q1, a blocking transistor Q2, and an antifuse transistor Q3.The antifuse cell 100 is also referred to as a three transistor antifusecell in that it consists of three transistors, including the antifuseitself. In the antifuse cell 100, a blocking voltage (V_(BLOCK)) isalways applied on the gate of the transistor Q2 to prevent a relativelyhigh programming voltage (V_(PROGRAM)) from being applied directly onthe select transistor Q1. To program the antifuse cell 100, aprogramming voltage is applied on the gate of the antifuse transistor Q3while a selection voltage (V_(SELECT)) is applied to the gate of theselect transistor Q1 and a low voltage (e.g. 0 volt or ground) isapplied to the source of the select transistor Q1. This turns ON theselect transistor Q1 and allows current to flow through the gate oxideof antifuse transistor Q3, thereby burning a short through the gateoxide. The state of the antifuse transistor Q3 may be read by applying ablocking voltage on the gate of the transistor Q2, applying a readingvoltage on the gate of the antifuse transistor Q3, applying a selectionvoltage on the gate of the select transistor Q1, and then reading theresulting current on the source of the select transistor Q1. If theantifuse transistor Q3 is burned, a resistive short allows current toflow from the gate of the transistor Q3 to the source of the selecttransistor Q1. Otherwise, there will be no current flow, indicating thatthe antifuse transistor Q3 has not been programmed and thus remainsopen.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of an integratedcircuit having the antifuse cell 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the selecttransistor Q1 and the blocking transistor Q2 comprise NMOS transistorswith n+ (i.e., heavily doped with an n-type dopant) regions for sourceand drain. Similarly, the antifuse transistor Q3 is an NMOS transistorhaving n+ source and drain regions that are shorted together. Theantifuse cell 100 is formed on a p-type substrate. An n-channel is thusformed between the source and drain regions of the antifuse transistorQ3 when a positive voltage applied to its gate exceeds its thresholdvoltage.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the antifusetransistor Q3. Programming the antifuse transistor Q3 results in aresistive short (R_(SHORT)) being formed through the gate oxide. Theresistive short may be read as previously described above. One problemwith the antifuse transistor Q3 is that a diode forms through theresistive short. This diode forms a parasitic NMOS drain region thatinjects charge into the gate oxide during programming, resulting in alarge undesirable distribution in threshold voltage and thus readcurrent.

To eliminate the charge injection problem of the antifuse transistor Q3,a PMOS antifuse transistor may be employed as shown in the antifuse cell400 of FIG. 4. The antifuse cell 400 is a three transistor antifuse cellthat includes a select transistor Q4, a blocking transistor Q5, and anantifuse transistor Q6. The functionality and operation of the selecttransistor Q4 and the blocking transistor Q5 are similar to those of theselect transistor Q1 and the blocking transistor Q2, respectively, ofthe previously described antifuse cell 100. The programming and readingof the antifuse cell 400 are also similar to those of the antifuse cell100.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of an integratedcircuit having the antifuse cell 400. As shown in FIG. 5, the selecttransistor Q4 and the blocking transistor Q5 comprise NMOS transistorswith n+ source and drain regions. The antifuse transistor Q6, on theother hand, comprises a PMOS transistor with p+ (i.e., heavily dopedwith a p-type dopant) source and drain regions. Upon programming, aresistive short (not shown) is burned through the gate oxide of theantifuse transistor Q6. To allow reading of the short, an n+ region 502is formed in the same n-well where the p+ source and drain regions ofthe antifuse transistor Q6 are formed. The n+ region 502 is tied to thep+ source and drain regions of the antifuse transistor Q6 and to thedrain of the blocking transistor Q5. This allows a reading voltage to beapplied on the gate of the antifuse transistor Q6 and flow currentthrough the resistive short in the gate oxide, the n+ region 502, thedrain of the blocking transistor Q5 and so on.

One problem with the antifuse cell 400 is that the antifuse transistorQ6 requires a relatively large amount of silicon area. Another problemwith the antifuse cell 400 is that the antifuse transistor Q6 may becomedefective when the resistive short is burned between the gate oxide anda p+ source/drain region instead of in the middle of the gate oxide.This problem is illustrated in FIG. 6, which shows a cross-section of aportion of the antifuse transistor Q6. In example of FIG. 6, a resistiveshort is burned through the gate oxide in a way that connects the p+source region to the gate. The resistive short forms a diode to thesource instead of a low resistance path to the n-well, thereby renderingthe antifuse cell 400 defective.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is schematically shown an antifuse cell750 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In theexample of FIG. 7, the antifuse cell 750 is a cell in an array ofantifuse cells that includes antifuse cells 750A, 750B, and so on. Inthe example of FIG. 7, all antifuse cells in the array of antifuse cellsare tied to the same blocking voltage V_(BLOCK) at a common node 702.Each antifuse cell in the array of antifuse cells receives its ownselection voltage V_(SELECT) at a particular selection node. In theexample of FIG. 7, the antifuse cell 750 receives its selection voltageat a node 701, the antifuse cell 750A receives its selection voltage ata node 701A, the antifuse cell 750B receives its selection voltage at anode 701 B, and so on. Applying a selection voltage at a particularantifuse cell selects that cell for operation (e.g., reading orprogramming).

Antifuse cell 750 is the same as the other antifuse cells (i.e. 750A,750B, . . . ) in the array, and will be used as an example in thisdisclosure. In the example of FIG. 7, the antifuse cell 750 comprises aselect transistor Q7, a blocking transistor Q8, and an antifuse 710. Aswill be more apparent below, the antifuse 710 comprises one or morediodes D1 and a capacitor. The blocking voltage V_(BLOCK) (e.g. 3.3volts) is tied to the gate of all the blocking transistors in the arrayto turn ON the blocking transistors and prevent a relatively highprogramming voltage V_(PROGRAM) (e.g. 7.5 volts) from being applieddirectly to corresponding select transistors. Using antifuse cell 750 asan example, turning ON the blocking transistor Q8 allows for current toflow from the antifuse 710 to the select transistor Q7 while preventingthe programming voltage V_(PROGRAM) at a node 703 from being applieddirectly to the transistor Q7. The blocking transistor Q8 thus preventsthe relatively thin gate oxide of the select transistor Q7 from breakingdown during programming. This advantageously allows the antifuse cell750 to be readily employed in a variety of circuitry, even pre-existingones with relatively thin gate oxides, with minimal or no processintegration requirement. In one embodiment, the blocking transistor Q8is always ON during normal operation.

To program the antifuse cell 750, the antifuse cell 750 is selected byturning ON the select transistor Q7. In one embodiment, the selecttransistor Q7 is turned ON by applying a selection voltage V_(SELECT)(e.g. 1.8 volts) on its gate at the node 701. The node 704 is placed atground potential and a programming voltage V_(PROGRAM) (e.g. 7.5 volts)is applied at the node 703. This results in the node 705 being pulled toground and the programming voltage being applied across the antifuse710, and current flowing from the node 703, through the antifuse 710,through the blocking transistor Q8, through the select transistor Q7,and to the node 704. The current flow through the antifuse 710 burns anelectrically conductive path, in this case a short (e.g. about 5 kΩ),through the antifuse 710 between the node 703 and a node 705. Theantifuse 710 is also referred to as a one-time-programmable (OTP)antifuse in that the short permanently remains after programming.

To determine the state of the antifuse cell 750, the antifuse cell 750is again selected by turning ON the select transistor Q8. A read voltage(e.g. 1.8 volts) is applied on the node 703 and a sense voltageV_(SENSE) (or corresponding read current) is detected at the node 704.If the antifuse 710 is burned (i.e. there is a short between nodes 703and 705), current will flow from the node 703 to the node 704.Otherwise, the antifuse 710 will be open, preventing current flow to thenode 704. The sense voltage V_(SENSE) will vary depending on whether theantifuse 710 is burned or not.

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of an integrated circuit having theantifuse cell 750 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. In the example of FIG. 8, the antifuse cell 750 is formed ina p-type semiconductor substrate 820. Shallow trench isolation (STI)structures 801 separate the antifuse cell 750 from other circuitry onthe substrate 820. In the example of FIG. 8 (and FIG. 7), the selecttransistor Q7 and the blocking transistor Q8 are NMOS transistors.Accordingly, the select transistor Q7 and blocking transistor Q8 have n+source and drain regions. In one embodiment, the select transistor Q7has a polysilicon gate 802 that is about 2700 Angstroms thick and a gateoxide 803 that is about 32 Angstroms thick. The select transistor Q7 hasan n+ source 816 connected to the node 704 used for detecting a sensevoltage (or read current). The select transistor Q7 uses an n+ region817 as a drain, which is also used by the blocking transistor Q8 as asource. Applying a positive selection voltage that exceeds a thresholdvoltage at the node 701 forms an n-channel between the n+ regions 816and 817 to allow current flow and thus select the antifuse cell 750.

In one embodiment, the blocking transistor Q8 has a polysilicon gate 804that is about 1800 Angstroms thick and a gate oxide 805 that is about 55Angstroms thick. The blocking transistor Q8 uses the n+ region 817 as asource and the n+ region 813 as a drain. Applying a positive voltagethat exceeds a threshold voltage at the node 702 forms an n-channelbetween n+ regions 817 and 813. This allows current flow to the selecttransistor Q7 while preventing direct application of a relatively highvoltage thereto.

As mentioned, the antifuse 710 may comprise a capacitor and one or morediodes. The capacitor, which is also referred to herein as “antifusecapacitor,” is formed by a gate 811, a gate oxide 812, and an n-well814. The gate 811, the gate oxide 812, and the n-well 814 serve as thecapacitor top plate, dielectric, and bottom plate, respectively. Alightly doped n-well 814 (n−) electrically connects the n+ regions 813and 815. Because of this connection, n+ regions 813 and 815 are notserving as source and drain regions in the antifuse 710. Put anotherway, the antifuse 710 has no source or drain. The n+ regions 813 and815, which serve as contact points to the n-well 814 (i.e. the bottomplate of the capacitor), are tied together to the node 705 (see alsoFIG. 7). Note that the n+ region 813 also serves as the drain of theblocking transistor Q8. This means that the bottom plate of the antifusecapacitor is tied to the drain of the blocking transistor Q8. A shortthrough the gate oxide 812 thus results in a relatively very lowresistance path (e.g. about 5 kΩ) from the node 703 to the node 705.

There are several diodes formed in the antifuse 710. One diode is formedby the n+ region 813 and the p-type substrate 820, another diode isformed by the n-well 814 and the p-type substrate 820, and yet anotherdiode is formed by the n+ region 815 and the p-type substrate 820. Thep-type substrate 820, which serves as the anode of these diodes,provides a connection to ground (see anode of the diode D1 in FIG. 7).The cathode (i.e., n+ region 813, n-well 814, and n+ region 815) ofthese diodes are all tied to the node 705 (see cathode of the diode D1in FIG. 7). These diodes are represented by the diode D1 in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 schematically shows a closer view of the antifuse 710. In oneembodiment, the gate 811 comprises polysilicon formed to a thickness ofabout 1800 Angstroms and the gate oxide 812 is formed to a thickness ofabout 32 Angstroms. Applying a positive programming voltage on the gate811 at the node 703 during programming burns a resistive short 903(R_(SHORT); e.g., a resistance of about 5 kΩ)) through the gate oxide812. An n+ region 902 may form on the end of the resistive short 903.However, the n+ region 902 has no adverse effect because it has the samepolarity as the n-well 814. The other reference labels shown in FIG. 9have been previously discussed and are provided for reference purposes.

One advantage of the antifuse cell 750 is that it provides a relativelytight read current distribution compared to antifuse cells employing anNMOS antifuse transistor. The capacitor of the antifuse 710 eliminatesthe saturated drain region charge injection issue that has plagued NMOSantifuse transistors. FIG. 10 shows example Weibull distributions ofread currents for an antifuse cell 100 (i.e. with an NMOS antifusetransistor) and an antifuse cell 750 (i.e. with an antifuse capacitor).The plot 933 is for the antifuse cell 100, while the plot 934 is for theantifuse cell 750. From FIG. 10, it can be seen that the antifuse cell100 has a larger read current tail compared to the antifuse cell 750.

Another advantage of the antifuse cell 750 is that it requires arelatively small area compared to antifuse cells employing a PMOSantifuse transistor. Comparing FIG. 5 to FIG. 8, the antifuse cell 400requires a relatively large area because it needs the n+ region 502 toconnect the burned resistive short to the rest of the cell. In somecases, the antifuse cell 400 may require about 30% more space comparedto the antifuse cell 750. The increased space requirement of theantifuse cell 400 leads to higher per die cost and smaller number ofdevices on the wafer. Furthermore, in the antifuse cell 750, a short maybe burned through the gate oxide to connect the gate to a highly dopedregion (n+ in the case of the antifuse 710) without rendering theantifuse cell 750 defective.

In another aspect of the present invention, the programming current usedto burn an electrically conductive path through an antifuse iscontrolled using a current regulator. This aspect of the presentinvention is now discussed with reference to FIGS. 11-13.

FIG. 11 schematically shows an example blocking voltage generationcircuit 1100. As its name implies, the circuit 1100 generates a blockingvoltage (V_(Block)) for turning ON blocking transistor Q5 of antifusecell 400. The operation and components of antifuse cell 400 have beenpreviously discussed with reference to FIG. 4. In circuit 1100, avoltage divider network consisting of resistors R1 and R2 scales theprogramming voltage applied at node 1104 to a blocking voltage at node1106. During programming of antifuse cell 400, a program start voltage(V_(PGM) _(—) _(START)) is applied to the gate of NMOS transistor Q9 atnode 1105. This turns ON transistor Q9 and allows current to flow fromnode 1104 to ground through transistor Q9. This, in turn, results in theblocking voltage at node 1106 being sufficient to turn ON blockingtransistor Q5 to protect select transistor Q4 from the relatively highprogramming voltage, which is also applied at node 1103. As is evidentin FIG. 11, the value of the blocking voltage for turning ON transistorQ5 during programming depends on the fixed programming voltage appliedon node 1104 and the values of resistors R1 and R2.

One problem with the circuit 1100 is that variations in the processemployed to manufacture the integrated circuit containing the circuit1100 and antifuse cell 400 may result in variations in the values of thecomponents of circuit 1100. This may result in variations in theblocking voltage applied at the gate of blocking transistor Q5, and thusvariations in the programming current flowing through the antifusetransistor Q6. Manufacturing process variations may increase the spreadin the programming current, sometimes by more than 200%. Because theresistance of the electrically conductive path burned through theantifuse is related to the programming current, the increased spread inprogramming current also increases the spread in the read current.

FIG. 12 schematically shows the antifuse cell 750 and a programmingcircuit comprising an amplifier 202 and a transistor Q10. The transistorQ10 serves as a high voltage switch for the relatively high (e.g. 7.5V)input voltage (V_(input)) pulse used to provide the programming voltage.The operation and components of the antifuse cell 750 have beenpreviously discussed with reference to FIG. 7. In the example of FIG.12, the programming voltage V_(program) applied at node 703 duringprogramming is from the input voltage pulse applied at a node 204. Aprogram start voltage (V_(PGM) _(—) _(START)) is applied at the input ofthe amplifier 202 at node 203 to start the programming. This results inthe amplifier 202 generating a control voltage to turn ON transistorQ10, thereby applying the input voltage pulse as programming voltage atnode 703. During programming, a programming current (I_(program)) flowsthrough the antifuse 710 as indicated by arrow 206. The programmingcurrent burns an electrically conductive path, labeled as R_(short),through the antifuse 710. As can be appreciated from FIG. 12, the largerthe programming current, the larger the voltage drop across transistorQ10. Therefore, if the spread in programming current is relatively wide,as is the case in the example of FIG. 11, the spread in the resistanceof R_(short) may be unacceptably large and cause read failures and/orcause antifuse failures by excessively large programming current thatblows open the antifuse.

Referring now to FIG. 13, there is schematically shown a programmingcurrent regulator 300 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. In the example of FIG. 13, the regulator 300 is employed tocontrol the programming current I_(AF) through the antifuse 710. In oneembodiment, the regular 300 comprises a programmable constant currentsource 313, an NMOS transistor Q11, and an NMOS transistor Q12.Preferably, the transistors Q11 and Q12 are fabricated as a cell in thearray of the antifuse cells that includes antifuse cell 750. Thisadvantageously allows the parameters of transistors Q11 and Q12 tochange with those of transistors Q7 and Q8 when the manufacturingprocess varies.

To program the antifuse cell 750, a selection voltage (V_(Sel)) isapplied at node 701 to turn ON select transistor Q7 and select antifusecell 750 among the antifuse cells in the array. An enable voltage(V_(Enable)) is applied at the gate of transistor Q12 to enable currentflow through transistors Q11 and Q12. Unlike the selection voltageapplied to select transistor Q7, the enable voltage is applied totransistor Q12 whenever any antifuse cell in the array is programmed.That is, the enable voltage is common to all antifuse cells in thearray. Of course, more than one regulator 300 may be employed per arrayof antifuse cells. In that case, the enable voltage is applied totransistor Q12 to enable the regulator 300 during programming of anantifuse cell coupled to the regulator 300 at node 312.

In the example of FIG. 13, transistors Q11 and Q12 form a current mirrorwith transistors Q8 and Q7. Programmable constant current source 313 isconfigured to generate a programming current I_(program) as indicated byarrow 314. During programming, an antifuse current I_(AF) flows throughthe antifuse 710 as indicated by arrow 315. Because of the mirroringarrangement of transistors Q11 and Q12 and transistors Q8 and Q7, theantifuse current through the antifuse 710 is substantially the same asthe programming current generated by programmable constant currentsource 313. That is, the antifuse current through the antifuse 710 is amirror current of the programming current generated by the programmableconstant current source 313. As can be appreciated, this advantageouslyprovides a stable and tightly controlled programming current forantifuse cell 750. Other antifuse cells (e.g., see FIG. 7 antifuse cells750A, 750B, . . . ) in the array of antifuse cells may tap off a node312 just like antifuse cell 750 to form current mirrors with transistorsQ11 and Q12 and receive a tightly controlled programming current. Theregulator 300 thus minimizes problems associated with widely varyingprogramming current, such as large spread in read current or the needfor a relatively large high voltage switch (e.g. see transistor Q10 inFIG. 12), thereby reducing manufacturing cost.

During programming, a relatively large amount of energy is released toform an electrically conductive path through the antifuse. If notcontrolled, this amount of energy can damage the antifuse. In anotheraspect of the present invention, a dynamic current limiting resistor isemployed to limit dynamic current flowing to the substrate of theantifuse. This aspect of the present invention is now discussed withreference to FIGS. 14 and 15.

FIG. 14 schematically illustrates current flow through the previouslydiscussed antifuse cell 750 during programming. The programming currentI_(program) flows through the antifuse 710 as indicated by arrow 402.The programming current breaks down the gate oxide of the antifusecapacitor (C_(oxide)) (see gate oxide 812 in FIGS. 8 and 9) of theantifuse 710 to form an electrically conductive path (R_(Short), e.g. 5kΩ) through it. The programming current splits at node 705. Part of theprogramming current flows through transistors Q8 and Q7 as cell currentI_(Cell) as indicated by arrow 405. The remaining part of theprogramming current flows through the diode D1 and substrate capacitanceC_(Substrate) (see substrate 820 in FIG. 9) as dynamic currentI_(Dynamic) as indicated by arrow 403. The dynamic current I_(Dynamic)flows to ground by way of the substrate of the antifuse 710. Althoughthe cell current I_(Cell) is limited by the blocking transistor Q8 andselect transistor Q7, the dynamic current I_(Dynamic) is notconstrained. It is thus possible for the dynamic current to damage theantifuse 710 such that there is undesirable spread in the resistance ofthe electrically conductive path R_(Short).

Referring now to FIG. 15, there is schematically shown an antifuse cell750′ in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Theoperation and components of the antifuse cell 750′ and the previouslydiscussed antifuse cell 750 are the same except for the addition of adynamic current limiting resistor R_(Limit) in the antifuse cell 750′.In one embodiment, the dynamic current limiting resistor R_(Limit) has avalue of about 1 K ohm.

Preferably, the limiting resistor R_(Limit) is in series between thecapacitor top plate (see top plate 811 of FIG. 9) of the antifuse 710and the node where the programming voltage V_(program) is applied to theantifuse cell (e.g. node 703). The dynamic current limiting resistorR_(Limit) advantageously limits the dynamic current flowing to thesubstrate of the antifuse capacitor to prevent excessive current duringprogramming.

An improved antifuse cell and associated circuitry have been disclosed.While specific embodiments of the present invention have been provided,it is to be understood that these embodiments are for illustrationpurposes and not limiting. Many additional embodiments will be apparentto persons of ordinary skill in the art reading this disclosure.

1. An integrated circuit comprising: a first antifuse cell comprising anantifuse, a blocking transistor, and a select transistor, the antifusebeing configured to receive a first programming current duringprogramming of the first antifuse cell to burn an electricallyconductive path through the antifuse, the select transistor beingconfigured to allow selection of the first antifuse cell among aplurality of antifuse cells, the blocking transistor being configured tolimit an amount of voltage applied to the select transistor; and aprogramming current regulator coupled to the first antifuse cell, theprogramming current regulator being configured to control the firstprogramming current by generating a second programming current that ismirrored by the first programming current.
 2. The integrated circuit ofclaim 1 wherein the programming current regulator comprises: a firsttransistor and a second transistor fabricated as a cell in the pluralityof antifuse cells; and a constant current source for generating thesecond programming current.
 3. The integrated circuit of claim 1 whereinthe programming current regulator comprises: a first transistor and asecond transistor forming a current mirror with the blocking transistorand the select transistor to allow the first programming current tomirror the second programming current; and a constant current sourcegenerating the second programming current.
 4. The integrated circuit ofclaim 1 further comprising: a second antifuse cell coupled to theprogramming current regulator, the second antifuse cell being configuredto receive a third programming current during programming of the secondantifuse cell, the third programming current being a mirror of thesecond programming current.
 5. The integrated circuit of claim 1 whereinthe antifuse comprises a capacitor and the electrically conductive pathis formed through the capacitor when the first antifuse cell isprogrammed.
 6. The integrated circuit of claim 5 wherein the antifusefurther comprises a diode having a cathode end coupled to an end of thecapacitor and an anode end coupled to ground.
 7. The integrated circuitof claim 5 wherein the electrically conductive path is formed though anoxide of the capacitor.
 8. The integrated circuit of claim 5 wherein thecapacitor of the first antifuse cell comprises: a polysilicon gateserving as a top plate of the capacitor; an n-well serving as a bottomplate of the capacitor; and a gate oxide between the polysilicon gateand the n-well, the gate oxide serving AS a dielectric of the capacitor.9. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the programming currentregulator comprises: a first transistor having a gate, a drain, and asource, the gate of the first transistor being coupled to the drain ofthe first transistor, the drain of the first transistor being coupled tothe gate of the blocking transistor, a second transistor having a gate,a drain, and a source, the drain of the second transistor being coupledto the source of the first transistor, the source of the secondtransistor being coupled to ground, and the gate of the secondtransistor being configured to receive an enable voltage to turn ON thesecond transistor and enable the current regulator during programming ofan antifuse cell in the plurality of antifuse cells.
 10. The integratedcircuit of claim 9 wherein the source of the blocking transistor iscoupled to the drain of the select transistor, the drain of the blockingtransistor being coupled to the antifuse, the source of the selecttransistor being coupled to ground.
 11. A method of programming anantifuse cell of an integrated circuit, the method comprising: selectingan antifuse cell in an array of antifuse cells in an integrated circuitfor programming, the antifuse cell comprising an antifuse; generating afirst programming current in a current regulator circuit coupled to theantifuse cell; and mirroring the first programming current to generate asecond programming current in the antifuse cell, the second programmingcurrent being substantially the same as the first programming current,the second programming current burning an electrically conductive paththrough the antifuse to program the antifuse cell.
 12. The method ofclaim 11 further comprising: turning ON a transistor in the currentregulator to enable the current regulator during the programming of theantifuse cell.
 13. The method of claim 11 further comprising: preventinga programming voltage from being directly applied to a transistor usedto select the antifuse cell.
 14. The method of claim 11 furthercomprising: mirroring the first programming current to generate a thirdprogramming current in another antifuse cell, the third programmingcurrent being substantially the same as the first programming current.15. An antifuse cell programmable using the method of claim
 11. 16. Themethod of claim 11 wherein the electrically conductive path is burnedthrough a capacitor of the antifuse.
 17. The method of claim 16 whereinthe electrically conductive path is burned through an oxide of thecapacitor.
 18. An integrated circuit comprising: an antifuse cellcomprising an antifuse, a blocking transistor, and a select transistor,the antifuse comprising a capacitor and being configured to receive afirst programming current during programming of the antifuse cell toburn an electrically conductive path through an oxide of the capacitor,the select transistor being configured to allow selection of theantifuse cell among a plurality of antifuse cells, the blockingtransistor being configured to limit an amount of voltage applied to theselect transistor; and current regulator means for controlling the firstprogramming current through the oxide of the capacitor duringprogramming of the antifuse cell, the current regulator means comprisinga current source means for providing a constant current source andmirroring means for forming a current mirror with the select transistorand the blocking transistor.
 19. The antifuse cell of claim 18 whereinthe current source means comprises a programmable constant currentsource.